U.K. authorities planning high-speed rail network

The UK government has today issued plans for a £30 billion high-speed rail link in the UK with work set to begin in the autumn. This will provide the UK with the fastest rail network in Europe and create up to 10,000 jobs over the lifetime of the project. The program will be completed in various phases with the first being a link between London and Birmingham due to open by 2026 at a cost of up to £17.4 billion.

Upon completion of the initial phase of the programme the network will be extended to take in Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh cutting journey times between London and Birmingham to anything from 50 minutes to 30 minutes. While the proposed £30 billion investment has already received its fair share of criticism with various groups already coming out against the move, there is no doubt it will help the UK economy in the long term.

It is unfortunate to see the proposed £30 billion investment program receiving such criticism in its early days when many people have criticised a lack of foresight by previous UK governments with regards to transport and internal investment. Whether these protests will derail the network remains to be seen but there is no doubt it would be highly beneficial to the UK economy as a whole.